Step in the right direction, but long way to go: Aakash Chopra

In years gone by, India's premier domestic competition, the Ranji trophy has been exiled to an almost alien like existence by cricket followers. Stadiums hosting Ranji matches have been left looking deserted and people have made trips to watch a game, only as frequently as airplanes make trips over the 'Bermuda Triangle.' For quite some time now, it has been clear that the domestic circuit needs a revamp and some serious restructuring in order to bring back the interest it once commanded. Finally, the BCCI technical committee has taken a step forward in doing so, but is it enough? Aakash Chopra answers that question in the best possible way, "it is a step in the right direction, but I think we still have a long way to go."

For any competition to be viable there must exist a purpose or an end result, fans and followers must need a clear winner or loser after watching cricket over a period of four or five days. If there is no result, there is going to be no interest. The Ranji trophy has been plagued by draws for a long time now, resulting in a huge drop in interest levels. Reasons for no results range from pitches to opponents and also depends quite heavily on the points system. The current restructuring though, aims at modifying all of the above and rests on the principle of deriving a result out of most games.

A positive move has been the increment of points for an outright win, "now you get twice as much for an outright win as compared to a first innings lead and a bonus if you win by an innings or 10 wickets," says Aakash Chopra. An increase is motivating, but is points alone enough to motivate a player to toil hard for four days on placid pitches? The former Rajasthan skipper doesn't think so, "I would have made it a lot wider, say 8 points for an outright win, so that there is more of an incentive to go for a win. Also, I would have added monetary rewards, say 10 lakh for every outright win."

Points aside, a major reason for most matches ending up in a stalemate, has been the poor quality of the pitches dished out for the domestic season. Clearly until now, the most important ingredient required for an enthralling game of cricket, has been given as much attention to, as the opinion of a toddler. Chopra believes that pitches have a widespread effect on Indian cricket in general, "quality of pitches is something that needs to be addressed because that is something of extreme importance in Indian cricket overall. The pitches that you make for the domestic set up plays a huge role in how we play our cricket overseas."

Perhaps India's recent abysmal performances overseas stems from the way cricket is played in India and more importantly what it is played on. The big question that must be answered though is, will spectators finally get to watch matches with a result, owing to the new set of recommendations? Chopra paints a very realistic picture when he says, "it boils down to the pitches, if we fail to address that, and don't ensure that the pitches that domestic cricket is played on are sporting enough, then you would still see the same number of draws. You may have added one more point for an outright win, but it wont help unless the pitches are conducive enough."

Apart from Ranji cricket, there are other sections of the domestic circuit that need attention. In an age where the ICC is trying to ensure that the 50 over format doesn't fade away in the battle between T20s and Tests, the BCCI too is trying to make changes to the domestic version of the same. The recommendation states that a bowler can now bowl a maximum of 12 overs, that though doesn't cut it for Aakash who says, "it is only 12 balls more of a good bowler, you can play him quietly and that's about it. My radical suggestion is that every bowler should be allowed to bowl 12 overs with the exception of two bowlers getting to bowl 13 overs. By doing that you will only need four quality bowlers to take care of 50 overs."

The other concern, is a clear lack of synergy between the 50 over domestic format and the one played at the international level, as Chopra puts it, "the other issue with the 50 over format is that it is not in sync with what is happening at the international level. There you can only bowl 10 overs and can only have 4 fielders outside the circle in the non-powerplay overs and here you are allowed to have five."

It is evident that the set of recommendations made by the BCCI technical committee is indeed a positive step forward, but it is also clear that they are just ones that resemble a crawl. Ranji and domestic cricket may still not turn out to be very attractive and results may still be rare. Perhaps what is needed is not just steps but a few giant leaps, something as radical and drastic as Chopra suggests. For now, there is hope of the Ranji format becoming more result oriented, but there certainly is a long way to go before hope turns into a guarantee.